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Sabres goalie Carter Hutton hopeful Ralph Krueger will bring defensive structure

‘”I kind of looked him up, truthfully, to try to figure out more about him,” Hutton told The Buffalo News in a phone interview Thursday night. “From talking to people, everything is coming back in high regard. He comes with a long resume and pretty detailed. He’s a gifted man in a lot of different areas, so I think it’s going to be exciting for sure. It’s going to be a good change of pace.”‘

Final Four’s numbers show how far Ralph Krueger has to go to fix Sabres’

‘The Sabres simply didn’t get enough saves from Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark. Some of that was subpar play in the net; some was the number of difficult scoring chances their easy-to-play-against defense gave up. Krueger needs to find an improvement at goalie coach and hope his defense can stop leaving the goaltenders out to dry. If the Sabres don’t improve these two numbers, they have no chance.’

Ralph Krueger an unconventional choice as coach of Buffalo Sabres

‘The North American game today — even more than the one Krueger exited in 2013 — isn’t necessarily one with both teams trading scoring chances over the full 60 minutes. But they are trading rushes, and those rushes eventually lead to goals, wins, and losses. It won’t be a surprise if Krueger needs time to adjust his coaching tactics and game strategy to the pace. It’s true of many, if not most, players who come here directly from Europe.’

Botterill has a lot on his plate for the offseason

‘”You look at the playoffs, there’s certainly some strong and physical players, but it’s about getting to the front of the net and about winning the battles in front of the net in your own [defensive] zone. We have players that have enough size, but now it’s just understanding how to go into the corners and win battles. I go back to my own experiences being a part of teams in Pittsburgh that played in 2008 and 2009 [in the Stanley Cup Final] against the Detroit Red Wings. [Pavel] Datsyuk and [Henrik] Zetterberg would always come out of the corners with pucks, so you have to find a way. Whether it’s physical strength or using your skills to win 1-on-1 battles. I think that’s something we have to improve on as a team.”‘

The Sabres use an analytic approach to season ticket pricing

‘For example, if you’re in a section where the Sabres shoot twice, your ticket will go up more than people in sections at the other end. Once the team comes up with what sections are more prime than others, they then set the increases. Nobody’s ticket will go up more than five-percent. The average price will go up 2.45-percent.’

Why did Penguins’ GM recommend Ralph Krueger for Sabres job?

‘”First of all, I believe Ralph will have a very good working relationship with Jason,” Rutherford told The Buffalo News in a phone interview Thursday. “Based on my relationship with Ralph, he’s willing to work with people and that will be the start of it. He’s coming in with a lot of good players there. They’re looking to get more structure out of their team and to get more out of those players, this is what I’ve seen Ralph do in the past. That’s what he’s capable of doing.”‘

Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour diagnosed with MCL sprain

‘Montour is under contract through the 2019-20 season and will be a restricted free agent next summer. That made him a valuable addition for General Manager Jason Botterill prior to what could be a roster overhaul. Though Jake McCabe is the team’s only restricted free agent this offseason, Bogosian, Marco Scandella, Matt Hunwick and Casey Nelson are unrestricted next summer.’

Housleys’ waterfront condo sold to concrete industry exec for $710,000

‘The sale to Peter J. Romano Jr., and his wife, Colleen, closed on Wednesday. Peter Romano served since 2012 as president and CEO of United Materials, the Depew-based supplier of ready-mix concrete and building materials, which was sold in March to Votorantim Cimentos North America.’